There is currently an avalanche of media sources covering what's going wrong in the world in the midst of the COVID 19 global viral pandemic. It's certainly OK to talk about and feel all those things. However, as an alternative, maybe it would be ok to also take a moment to talk about what's going right? Maybe on a minor note for instance, I noticed several days back when, with mask firmly in place, I had to venture to the local grocery store for more social distancing stay at home supplies. We were out of the basics like milk, bread, eggs, etc. I noticed that with the new protocols for social distancing, maybe it was my imagination but everyone seemed more aware, more present, generally more mindful, and dare I say more kind.

     One of the things that happened at our house is we brought out the board games and have generally spent more time watching movies together as a family than i can remember us doing before. We invested in an aquarium towards the beginning of this pandemic and have now have spent relaxing time naming fish and discussing the inner aquarium politics of feeding time. Don't anyone tell this to them but I think my two kiddos may have actually begun to like and enjoy each other! On a side note my son showed me how he had figured out about 90% of Brian May's electric guitar solo in Bohemian Rhapsody. That was a pretty cool moment! Yes, I realize that I'm trying to be light and airy when so many horrible things are occurring for so many health-wise and financially across the globe.

     As a trauma and anxiety specialist, I'm not immune to the heaviness that has descended upon the world. Even though I still have mountains of things I could be working on, I still found myself engaging in some escapism, even though I have so many tools I know to use myself, I still found myself wanting to be distracted by anything so the world's heaviness would leave me alone for a bit.  For a bit there I found myself immersed in  an Asian sci/fi fantasy Netflix series with English subtitles. I think my wife is still shaking her head on that one. She found me a multitude of times sitting in silence reading the dialogue of the show. I believe there were 63 episodes.

     Yes, I. Watched. Them. All. Don't judge me.

     What a blessing that we have so many digital formats for entertainment and education now as the kids are learning how to wrestle a new unusual home school format. Could you imagine if this had occurred pre Blockbuster Video, or even during? Thankfully, now we are just a couple clicks away from learning about generally anything you could imagine learning about. What a blessing!

     During this time even though we have 24/7 coverage, there is still so much we just don't know as well as the fact that there are many of us that have treasured loved ones who are categorically in the high risk groups. As a mindfulness instructor, I frequently use the metaphor with clients that yes even though there is a horrific storm occurring, isn't the purple in those clouds really pretty? Both the destruction and the creation are occurring at the same time. As human beings we are wired to pay attention to the negative as a survival mechanism. That is in fact one of the reasons the Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction Coursework gives an exercise* of noticing, observing, and describing one pleasant event during each day as a way of conditioning ourselves to remember to shift that wiring into more active positivity. (*see Positive Events Calendar here)

     I can tell you that I have been working through virus affect thing through in my mind and heart and there truly are a few really great things that I believe are being shifted even in the midst of the fear and loss. For one, people can't do the things externally that we were doing before so it is generally forcing a global shift to internal observation. One of my friends that is an actual Vedic astrologer informed me that Saturn had just entered a time period for the next few years that( yada yada yada) predicted internal learning of the world. Generally, while there are certainly exceptions to this, we are spending more time with ourselves instead of just going going going and doing doing doing. The result of that is intense introspection where we are truly cutting the perspective diamond discovering what really works, what doesn't work, and what's next in our lives.

     Science now tells us conclusively that the two biggest predictors to happiness are social connection and gratitude. Taking long spans of time to shift our daily behavior for the purpose of saving lives to me is almost a forced gratitude. it's hard not to be proud of human compassion that no matter what your political stance is still a genuine root of the human experience.

     We are doing all of this to save lives folks, allow yourself a pat on the back for a moment and feel good about what society sacrifice on so many different levels is truly all about. Ironically even though we are distancing socially, we all know that we are all doing it at the same time and therefore are connected in our shared activity of solidarity.

     Ironically, We are all being alone together.

     Name anything else that we  as a world have collectively paid attention to and collectively gotten behind together besides maybe war?

     Wayne Dyer once asked what happens when you squeeze an orange. The answer is of course orange juice comes out because that's whats inside. One benefit I see occurring here is that truly this heavy wave of shift that is occurring is dramatically changing what people thought was important. It's squeezing us in ways that's generally bringing those things that we have needed to deal with to the surface for us to actually deal with them. It's most assuredly a purification of sorts. Who you were before this pandemic and who you are after will probably not be the same. I have so much optimism that this shift is and will continue to have an affect on the consciousness of the world in an incredibly positive way as we examine and begin choosing what really matters. While we are suffering in so many ways being separated, when we do get the opportunity as a world to connect again in physical ways, maybe having put down so many things that truly didn't matter, maybe all of us will put energy into those things that truly do.

Chin up, hearts open, stay safe! Go inward my friends and use this time to take inventory of who you are and of the world you want this to be when everything is open again. So many wonderful people are serving in so many ways. Health providers in their way, heroically so, social distancing and staying home for so many others. I want to take a moment from afar to offer a clinically sanitized gloved fist bump of congratulations to all of us doing the internal work of change that is coming!  (((Air Bump!!!)))